Feature article published in Australian Demographic Statistics, December Quarter, 2002.

AUSTRALIANS ON THE MOVE

Between 1996 and 2001, 6.8 million people age 5 years and over (42.4%) changed their place of residence in Australia. Of all the people who moved during this period, 5.9 million (86%) moved within the same state or territory, 767,900 people (11%) moved interstate and for a further 157,300 people (2%) their move was undefined.

POPULATION MOBILITY(a), Type of move, 1991-2001

1991-1996(a)

1996-2000(a)

2000-2001(b)

Type of move

no.

%

no.

%

no.

%

Moved

Same SLA

2,148,177

14.1

2,205,049

13.7

1,198,451

6.8

Other SLA and same SD

2,512,333

16.5

2,670,668

16.6

1,171,253

6.7

Other SD same state

1,007,400

6.6

1,004,048

6.3

368,301

2.1

Moved interstate

768,903

5.0

767,932

4.8

286,338

1.6

Type undefined

130,453

0.9

157,264

1.0

79,930

0.5

Total moved

6,567,266

43.1

6,804,961

42.4

3,104,273

17.7

Did not move

8,661,112

56.9

9,253,360

57.6

14,446,309

82.3

Total(c)

15,228,378

100.0

16,058,321

100.0

17,550,582

100.0

(a) For persons aged five years and over.

(b) For persons aged one year and over.

(c) Census count at the end census date excludes overseas visitors, not stated and not applicable responses.

Source: 1996 and 2001 Census of Population and Housing, data available on request.

Net interstate migration

According to population estimates there were 1,844,800 interstate moves made between 1996 and 2001. Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia were the only states or territories to have registered a net gain through interstate migration, with Queensland recording the largest net increase (92,200). This figure has decreased by over 50% from the net increase recorded for Queensland between 1991 and 1996 (201,000 people). For the five-year period 1996 to 2001, net losses due to interstate migration were recorded for all other states and territories, with New South Wales recording the largest net loss (-66,500).

The net losses recorded for New South Wales and South Australia between 1991 and 1996 were higher than their respective losses recorded between 1996 and 2001. Victoria experienced a significant change from the previous five-year period when it recorded the largest net loss due to interstate migration (-107,800). In the period between 1996 and 2001 this state recorded a net gain of 6,400 people. The Australian Capital Territory was the only state or territory to have recorded a decrease in net interstate migration between 1996 and 2001 (-4,600) after having recorded a net interstate migration gain in the five years from 1991 to 1996 (1,100).

NET INTERSTATE MIGRATION, 1991-2001

1991-1996

1996-2001

New South Wales

-71,770

-66,549

Victoria

-107,832

6,444

Queensland

201,038

92,188

South Australia

-23,108

-12,894

Western Australia

11,526

2,886

Tasmania

-9,136

-15,043

Northern Territory

-1,831

-2,170

Australian Capital Territory

1,113

-4,642

Total(a)

. .

. .

(a) Includes Other Territories from September 1996 to June 2001.

Source: Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

Interstate migration flows

The general pattern of movement over the last two decades has been northward, away from south-eastern Australia. According to ERP estimates in 1996-2001, this movement resulted in Queensland receiving the most significant net gain (92,200). All states and territories experienced a loss to Queensland, with New South Wales losing the largest number of people (-59,600) accounting for 65% of Queensland's total net interstate migration gain.

INTERSTATE MOVES, 1996-2001

STATE/TERRITORY OF ARRIVAL

State/territory of departure

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT

Total(a)

'000

New South Wales

. .

123.6

249.7

34.2

42.5

13.6

15.5

55.9

535.3

Victoria

118.0

. .

104.2

39.1

37.4

15.5

13.0

11.7

339.0

Queensland

190.1

91.8

. .

27.3

34.8

14.1

23.6

13.4

395.2

South Australia

35.3

45.3

32.8

. .

18.1

4.5

15.4

4.6

156.0

Western Australia

40.2

38.3

36.8

16.7

. .

8.2

13

4.5

158.0

Tasmania

14.6

21.4

19.8

5.2

9.2

. .

2.0

2.0

74.2

Northern Territory

13.8

12.1

26.5

16.8

13.7

1.7

. .

2.5

86.9

Australian Capital Territory

56.7

12.8

17.6

3.8

4.7

1.5

2.2

. .

99.3

Total(a)

468.8

345.4

487.4

143.2

160.9

59.1

84.8

94.7

1,844.8

Net gain/loss

-66.5

6.4

92.2

-12.9

2.9

-15.0

-2.2

-4.6

. .

(a) Includes Other Territories from September 1996 to June 2001.

Source: Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

Population turnover and redistribution

Population turnover measures gross moves in relation to the size of the population. The level of population turnover between 1996-2001 varied considerably across states and territories as the arrivals and departures for each state and territory were much larger than indicated by the net balance between them. For example, the interstate loss of -66,500 from New South Wales between 1996 and 2001 was actually the difference between 468,800 arrivals and 535,300 departures (1,004,000 gross moves). These gross movements can be used to describe interstate mobility in terms of population turnover and redistribution.

The highest population turnover occurred in the Northern Territory (89%) as the gross moves (171,700) were nearly the same as the total population at the mid point of the later census year.

Another way of looking at interstate migration is to assess how effective migration has been in redistributing the population. This index, known as the migration effectiveness ratio (MER), compares the total net gain or loss to the gross moves (Bell 1995, p109)1. For 1996-2001 Queensland had the highest MER (10.4%), gaining 10 people out of every 100 interstate moves in and out of Queensland. Tasmania also recorded a relatively large MER (-11.3%), indicating that Tasmania lost 11 people for every 100 interstate moves in and out of the state.

Net internal migration gains between 1996 and 2001, for persons age 5 and over, were mostly recorded by SDs along the eastern coastline of Queensland and New South Wales and the south-west corner of Western Australia. The capital cities of Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin also recorded net internal migration gains. On the other hand, net internal migration losses mainly occurred in the rural inland and remote areas of Australia and in the capital cities of Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra.

Sydney recorded the largest net migration loss between 1996 and 2001 (-60,600), with the next largest loss recorded by Northern New South Wales (-8,300). Every SD in Tasmania experienced significant net migration losses, and losses were also recorded in all but one SD in South Australia. The largest rate of net migration loss was recorded in North West in Queensland (-13.6%), with the next largest loss recorded in the Pilbara in Western Australia (-13.3%).

NET INTERNAL MIGRATION(a), STATISTICAL DIVISIONS, 1996-2001 CENSUS

Intrastate

Interstate

Total

Rate(b)

State

Statistical division

no.

no.

no.

%

New South Wales

Sydney

-36,287

-24,341

-60,628

-1.6

Hunter

12,452

-4,475

7,977

1.4

Illawarra

14,148

-3,484

10,664

2.9

Richmond-Tweed

8,044

-3,156

4,888

2.4

Mid-North Coast

11,615

-5,261

6,354

2.4

Northern

-3,172

-5,100

-8,272

-4.7

North Western

-4,034

-2,665

-6,699

-5.8

Central West

-2,193

-3,037

-5,230

-3.1

South Eastern

2,013

254

2,267

1.3

Murrumbidgee

-903

-4,116

-5,019

-3.4

Murray

-1,099

-2,948

-4,047

-3.7

Far West

-584

-1,552

-2,136

-8.8

Victoria

Melbourne

-2,513

13,365

10,852

0.3

Barwon

6,087

-891

5,196

2.2

Western District

-2,422

-851

-3,273

-3.3

Central Highlands

2,191

-599

1,592

1.2

Wimmera

-1,957

-471

-2,428

-4.8

Mallee

-3,463

58

-3,405

-4.0

Loddon

2,986

-675

2,311

1.5

Goulburn

157

-515

-358

-0.2

Ovens-Murray

-368

-98

-466

-0.5

East Gippsland

-1,664

-1,292

-2,956

-3.8

Gippsland

966

-1,240

-274

-0.2

Queensland

Brisbane

17,347

32,853

50,200

3.3

Moreton

16,084

36,595

52,679

8.2

Wide Bay-Burnett

-4,377

4,889

512

0.2

Darling Downs

-2,052

2,623

571

0.3

South West

-2,404

6

-2,398

-9.3

Fitzroy

-6,176

556

-5,620

-3.2

Central West

-1,381

-156

-1,537

-12.6

Mackay

-5,792

836

-4,956

-4.0

Northern

-271

1,537

1,266

0.7

Far North

-6,540

1,001

-5,539

-2.7

North West

-4,438

-276

-4,714

-13.6

South Australia

Adelaide

5,281

-8,990

-3,709

-0.3

Outer Adelaide

4,541

486

5,027

4.7

Yorke and Lower North

-320

44

-276

-0.6

Murray Lands

-1,429

-307

-1,736

-2.6

South East

-1,738

-456

-2,194

-3.6

Eyre

-761

93

-668

-2.1

Northern

-5,574

-1,089

-6,663

-8.4

Western Australia

Perth

5,801

3,264

9,065

0.7

South West

10,236

1,021

11,257

6.5

Lower Great Southern

-230

-112

-342

-0.7

Upper Great Southern

-1,702

-72

-1,774

-9.5

Midlands

-2,020

-230

-2,250

-4.4

South Eastern

-5,353

-425

-5,778

-10.8

Central

-1,919

-250

-2,169

-3.8

Pilbara

-4,547

-568

-5,115

-13.3

Kimberley

-266

-206

-472

-1.7

Tasmania

Greater Hobart

3,734

-6,132

-2,398

-1.3

Southern

-1,434

196

-1,238

-3.7

Northern

145

-3,103

-2,958

-2.3

Mersey-Lyell

-2,445

-3,552

-5,997

-5.7

Northern Territory

Darwin

2,016

-1,182

834

0.9

Northern Territory - Bal

-2,016

-3,555

-5,571

-6.2

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra

19

-2,094

-2,075

-0.7

Australian Capital Territory - Bal

-19

4

-15

-4.4

(a) For persons aged five year and over.

(b) Percentage of the mean of the 1996 and 2001 usual residence populations.

Source: 2001 Census of Population and Housing, data available on request.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information on population mobility including return migration, reasons for moving, age, sex and birthplace of movers and Indigenous mobility see Chapter 3 in Population Growth and Distribution (cat. no. 2035.0) due for release on 16 June 2003. This publication also contains information on population distribution, population growth and decline and final population estimates by statistical local areas for each state and territory.